A white rose for Her
by Wood3nh3art
Summary: Mistral, a place for reunion. They don't know it yet, but in their hearts they'll find a way to find each other and once the old team is back in action their enemies shall fear and the flowers may bloom, as the same enemies that devided them will now be the reason why they are closer than ever. (Includes bumblebee)
1. Prologue

Let us start with something other than the beginning.

 **Prologue.**

The girl in the red hood left the dining room where she had just finished dinner with Nora, Ren, Jaune and her sister. The conversation was incredible, that was clear by the cheerful atmosphere and the laughter that was heard. It's really been a long time since they could simply sit down to talk, even after working on some missions together they still felt like they had a lot to talk about. But something felt missing to the hooded girl, even if the dining room was full of life and good company it felt empty because of the absence of a certain blue-eyed girl. It is not the first time that she skips the conversation after dinner but the hooded could not help but be worried, especially because she has been doing this for a while and this time the girl skipped dinner entirely.

The silver-eyed girl walked the corridors for a while, she didn't know exactly where to find the person she was looking for but that wouldn't stop her from trying. The white-haired girl has been acting strange lately, she could tell by the way she remained quiet during team conversations, something quite unusual considering that the girl is one to always express what she thinks. For all this, Ruby knew that something had to be wrong, something was consuming the thoughts of her partner.

Finding her shouldn't be difficult, right? After all, they are in a boat so… there aren't many places to hide. The corridors took her to the deck of the small boat where she kept looking for her, but everything she could see was a crowd of people she didn't know and a beautiful starry sky, the night was indeed something wonderful although the voices of the people obscure the sounds of nature. After a thorough search, she found no sign of the girl he was looking for.

She had already searched the rooms and corridors, she was starting to feel tired, and for so, she then decides that perhaps it is best to return with her teammates and join the conversation.

When she set out to return, she heard a familiar voice, it was quite clear and beautiful, it came from the rooftop, the only place she had never consider. Ruby jumped right away, she didn't have to think twice, she already knew who was there.

On the rooftop, a girl dressed mostly in white cleared her throat, she was clearly preparing herself to let out all of the emotions she had kept inside through a song. She began to sing what appeared to be a ballad that could be from Atlas, or maybe it was something she composed herself. The lyrics clearly spoke of the place where she was raised and it seemed to be her way of saying farewell to the land where she was born.

 _To the cold that I met  
in the land dressed always in white,  
just like a book no longer blank  
I won't forget the way back._

 _Oh, but I have met the colors outside  
where the sun is warmer and the people nicer,  
and I'm afraid that I must stay  
here, with all of my friends._

The girl in the red hood found herself... speechless, as the white-haired girl continued to sing because she knew how the girl always expresses what is in her heart and mind through the songs she composes. She let go of her worries to allow herself enjoy the clear and sweet voice of Weiss. She closed her eyes, it was clear that no one would interrupt the once-heiress since all the other voices fell silent and faded as the singer's voice rose, everyone on the ship had secretly agreed to let the girl's voice be the only thing that could be heard, not even the sounds of nature interrupted her. It had been a long time since Ruby could hear her sing like that and she had really missed moments like this one.

 _That's why I will keep you in memories  
because I'm not returning to my burdens,  
and I must say goodbye to you, my land  
Because I have found my path._

Some tears began to dampen the eyes of the singer as her feelings were released under the light of the stars, tonight she could let go of everything she had kept to herself. The girl was really moving forward with her life, both mental and emotional preparation for tonight explained her previous behavior, she really wanted to release all her burdens and this was the way to do it. Ruby's eyes were moistened, she was touched. However, the blue-eyed girl was the first to let go of her tears as she reached the final line: "I have found happiness" then the silver-eyed girl could not contain her tears and her silent weeping let her partner know that she was not alone.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Asked softly the white-haired girl. The color of her eyes matched perfectly with the dark blue of the starry sky, her pale skin and hair combined perfectly with the moonlight and helped her figure stand out from the background, just like her eyes, the scene was marvelous. She knew that the hooded had heard her sing, she knew that the girl had been there since the beginning and that's why her expression was one of empathy, something that's not often seen in her.

The once-heiress was almost knocked down by a hug before she could receive an answer from her dear teammate: "I was looking for you! Dolt" said Ruby as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, that's my line!" Weiss laughed as she was returning the hug, "look, I know I told you how restless I felt and how much I needed to go to sleep, and now it's clear that I used that as an excuse to skip dinner, I lied to you… because I really needed to do this, I had to come here as soon as I felt ready"

"I was here remember? I understand" the red-hooded assure her as she was tightening the hug, "so, are you really leaving all the 'recover the family's honor' thing behind? To be with us?"

"Don't be stupid" said the once-heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, kindly pushing her away to break the hug and look at the moon, "Is not like my father is retiring anytime soon, and while he's still the head of the company I get the time to be a huntress, then, once I make a name for myself I'll take over the company and finally make it honorable again, starting by stopping the Faunus slavery of course" She was confident of her words.

"I'm sure Blake would be happy to hear that, wherever she might be" she guaranteed, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder for a moment.

"I hope it at least eases the situation with the White Fang, although after what happened to Yang I'm not sure how much it really matters to Blake anymore, for all we know she could have gone somewhere they can't find her so that she could leave everything behind… or she could be plotting her revenge"

"Sure! I bet she's teaching them a lesson!" Ruby was sure that would be what Blake would do. She turned her gaze from those blue eyes to see the sky and ask "then... what did you mean by not returning to your burdens?"

"It's like I said, it will be years before I'm qualified to assume control of the company, so I decided not to think about it until it is necessary... as things are these days, I'm just following your example by enjoying what we have while we can" she said the last part with a smile, a smile so bright it was difficult to know if it shone by its own light or if the light of the moon Helped. Whatever the case, the happiness, and warmth it shared would not be hidden.

"Aww, you thought of me, did you miss me?" There are some moments in Ruby's life when she simply wants to tease Weiss a little, "Did you miss me?" She asked as she smiled at her.

"O-of course n- ...you dolt!" The one who was once the heiress to one of Remnant's most important companies was now trying to evade the look of her partner to hide the blush, a subtle pink blush. She was so focused on that, that she forgot to clarify her answer and left some room for interpretations.

"Aww Weiss, I missed you too~!" exclaimed the hooded girl before wrapping her friend in a tight embrace, having Weiss to say those words was like a dream come true for her. To think it only took her about a year and a half to admit that she cared. Although this time the white-haired girl did not return the hug, her heart was beating so loud that she feared that Ruby could feel it if she hugged her back. "What's the matter?" asked the red-hooded.

"It's nothing," she said, still avoiding her stare "we should go back to our room to get some sleep," she said timidly, with the obvious intention of changing the subject.

"Weiss, you can tell me anything. Remember? What's it about?" She asked as she released her from her grip, she then grabbed her shoulders to try and meet the glance of those blue eyes she cared so much about.

The girl in white knew that she couldn't tell the truth so she went for the very first thing she thought of "No ... I already told you it's nothing, Ruby" she tried in vain to recover her usual tone of voice, but it was clear that the truth wouldn't find its way out of her mouth, Ruby noticed this and interrupted Weiss before she could excuse herself any further.

"Are you saying... you didn't miss me?" She asked with a bit of sadness in her voice, her spirit had dropped because the girl in white couldn't answer immediately, she looked for her eyes just to make sure the girl was thinking her response at least. But unconsciously, the hooded girl was doing a sad puppy face.

"Please stop, that's childish... and I'm not saying that I didn't miss you..." she wasn't sure why but hearing herself saying those words almost made her blush, although it made sense because she never imagined confessing to Ruby that she had missed her, "Just let us go get some sleep"

Weiss did miss her, for so, Ruby let out a small giggle. She knew her teammate and therefore knew that the one who had been the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company was a girl who would always appear to be cold and unreachable, but then there were these times when she could see a completely different side of her: a kinder, warm, immature, humorous and even shy side of her. "Very well," she said to those blue eyes that now looked at her with curiosity, surely the giggle she heard just a moment ago left her intrigued.

"Did I say something funny?" She asked at last.

"Nope," The hooded replied while showing her an honest smile. This in no way helped Weiss to cease to be intrigued. "Let's go back to our rooms," Ruby invited as she stepped forward. Weiss followed after a moment of hesitation.

They had two rooms, one for the remaining members of team JNPR and one for team RWBY. To no one's surprise, Yang was already in the room by the time they arrived, it was already late after all.

The older sister was cleaning her robotic arm because apparently things got a bit too crazy during her conversation with the other team and now there were remainings of food in it. Yang was already in her pajamas, and most of the stains on her arm were already taken care of, but that didn't make her feel any better about it.

The room was simple and comfortable: there were windows concealed by blue curtains, a bathroom whose bulb was broken, two beds and a bedside table in the middle of these.

"Can you believe this?" Asked the blondie, who was sitting on one of the beds "and I just got it, it's brand new!"

Her little sister could not help laughing at her sister'smisery, "Relax, I'm sure nothing will happen to it " she assured her as she walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth, Weiss would have followed her to do the same but she had taken care of that when the others were having dinner.

"Of course," Weiss added, "It was made to fight Grimm, whatever food was thrown at it shouldn't damage it" then she went to the bed that was closest to the window to change into her pajamas, Yang was in the other bed still very busy fighting the stains on her arm, it was a fantastic scene because not even the Grimm would make her concentrate so much on one single task with so much passion.

"I hope you're right, I can't afford to lose another arm. That would be a Yangmare" Ruby's giggle could be heard from the bathroom, it was very brief but it was a laugh after all.

"What is really a nightmare are your puns, but it's good to know that you are in a good mood" said the blue-eyed girl as she finished putting on her pajamas and loosening her hair, once finished she approached the curtains to move them enough to allow the entrance of a small ray of moonlight so that it could illuminate the room, she watched the moon for a moment and then turned her gaze to Yang when she spoke, although the look of the blonde was still interested in the stains.

"Well, I was kinda depressed not long ago and now that I have recovered, something this insignificant won't lower my spirit" even if she said this with her usual confidence and tenacity, her face showed some frustration due to the persistence of the stains, this was beginning to be more than annoying for her, although at least there was only one small stain left to deal with.

"That's the spirit!" said her little sister, who was changing into her pajamas in the bathroom.

"Aha!" Yang exclaimed victoriously, the persistence of the stain had failed against her, "finally." She said before leaving her robotic arm on the table and finally cover herself with the blankets, she was so tired that there was nothing else she wanted to do, "now let's get some sleep" but then she recalled that someone had to turn off the lights. She completely forgot that Ruby was still changing in the bathroom and therefore did not think about throwing a pillow at the switch to turn off the light.

"Yang!" Her sister almost shouted from the bathroom, although mentally the girl told herself that she must have seen this coming, she knew her sister after all, and she should have expected it. At least she had been lucky enough to be fully dressed by the time this happened, and the moonlight coming in from the window was enough to allow her to move around the room... though it didn't make her less annoyed.

It was then that Ruby noticed a couple of things, the first was that Crescent Rose was next to the window near to Weiss's bed, this was curious because she had no memory of leaving it there, the second thing she noticed was that the white-haired girl was already lying on the bed and cover in the blanket, she looked asleep. Ruby moved to where her weapon was, being careful not to wake her teammate. As she moved stealthily through the room she recalled the missions they had recently, after days of fighting dozens of Grimm it was understandable that her two companions would end up so exhausted as to fall immediately asleep under the shelter of the blankets.

Weiss was sleeping sideways so that she could face the window, her expression was so cute that Ruby could not help but smile at the tenderness she caused her, the hooded noticed that there was some dirt on her cheek, so she slowly brought her hand to the pale face of her companion to remove that stain with her thumb, she found a warmth that she didn't expect from a skin that pale and therefore could not avoid stroking it timidly with her fingertip, it was so soft and warm... then her touch reached the scar.

Weiss had never told her what happened the day she got that mark in her eye, Ruby knew that if she wanted to know, the only thing she had to do was just ask her because she was sure it was something that Weiss would tell her, yet she could never ask... as much as she was curious about it. One day she might find the courage to ask her, although part of her hoped that Weiss told her on her own, for the hooded had the feeling it was something personal and meaningful.

There was so much of Weiss she has yet to know, for example, she knew that she always lies down facing the window if there is one, and although Ruby doesn't know the reason... part of her wondered if it was her way of escaping, because maybe the girl always dreamed about the world that extends beyond Atlas. She knows almost nothing of the girl's past, but she had the feeling that the once heiress felt trapped in her own fate when she was in her house, although she may be thinking about it too much. How many things she still doesn't know about her teammate?

Without realizing she had brought her face close to the white-haired girl, she realized what she was doing when she got close enough to feel the breathing of her companion, at that moment she almost jumped by surprise and although she didn't do it, she backed away abruptly. The worst part was to think that perhaps Weiss was not quite asleep, that perhaps the soft touch of Ruby's hand had awakened her slightly, now that she thought of this she was secretly panicking inside.

Suddenly, a voice caught her attention, it called her name with some tiredness, her heart skipped a beat from the surprise but then she recognized the person who spoke to her and was able to calm down.

"Ruby, wake up kiddo, it's time to work" it was undoubtedly the voice of Qrow. Here is when Ruby realized that everything had been just a dream, as Qrow's voice brought her back to reality the memories of the hotel room where she wrote a letter to Yang came to her, she wasn't in a boat to a new adventure, she's in Mistral with a mission to accomplish.

"What is it?" Whether she wanted to or not, she had to prepare for the things to come.

.

 **Author's Note:** thanks for taking the time to read the prologue. I have had this story in my head since a few weeks ago but I modified a few things every time a new episode came out, so I finally decided that this was time to write it, now, that volume four has come to an end and volume 5 is still months from being out. I'll try my best to have a new chapter every week because I know my time is limited since I want to finish the story before volume 5 (although I'll continue anyway if I run out of time).

See you next week.


	2. could it be?

**Author's Note:** As Ruby stated in her letter to Yang, Qrow has given some information to RNJR and most likely give them a mission too, but there's no way I know what that is, so I'll go with my best guess, one which serves the ships, of course.

 **Chapter 1: Reunion.**

 _If there was something she wasn't expecting,_ it was to recognize the girl standing in the center of the room.

The hooded girl seemed to be confused as her eyes opened to the world and the bright sunlight forced her to return to reality. The dream she just had was undoubtedly beautiful, optimistic, full of hope and illusions, for a brief moment she could feel happy and unconcerned. As the leader of team RNJR she knew that her teammates might need some of what she got from her dream because unfortunately, her reality lacks all of that. It was for this reason that until now she felt the duty to wear a smile as a mask, especially in the darkest moments, it was her task as a leader to ensure that the morale of the team remains high, after all, there's nothing worse than a group of capable warriors who lack the spirit to fight.

Eventually, being the pillar of strength and support of the team would become an impossible burden for her and she was well aware of it, now that she thought about it, she had no way of knowing how much longer she could have remained unbreakable, after all, Ruby had been the one who lost the most, the worst part is that she didn't give herself the opportunity to deal with it in order to appear strong, so far she has only sealed it inside. Good luck was truly on their side when the ships saw the smoke of the Grimm-horse that they defeated in Kuroyuri and went to inspect, otherwise... How much longer could she had continued? It was easy to look at the path behind them and think about the possibility of returning.

The letter she wrote to her sister, how long will it take it to get there? How many things would have changed by the time she receives the letter? Ruby didn't know how to deal with the thought of Yang trying to open the envelope with one hand or waiting for Taiyang to open it for her, it could also be that Yang didn't want to read the letter because she envies her in some way or this annoys her, those thoughts made her wonder if sending her letters was right at all, but hopefully her words would reach her and if she was even luckier then she would convince her to join them. Deep inside she knew her sister, the idea of Yang actually reading the letters and that it would rejuvenate her hopes and spirit was better, much better.

The only thing she needed right now was a good new, that's it, a familiar face or anything that would confirm that everything would be better from now on.

Maybe her own spirit would be brighter by having Yang back, the blonde had the special talent to brighten an atmosphere just due to her present. Ruby needed her by her side, for that reason and more. Yang was right the day she said, "Bad things just happen," she might have been annoyed when she said it but now Ruby could understand it now, since she could glimpse the real world outside her fanciful idea of what is to be a huntress, for the first time, she could see things as they really were out of the stories that were read to her as a child. That blow of reality was like a slap at the right moment... just when everything seemed dark, uncertain, lost and the situation became more desperate at every moment. She had finally opened her eyes.

A familiar face... just how low were the chances of that happening? She knew how wonderful it would be to have her team assembled again, but that idea seemed less likely every time she thought about it. First of all: they had no clue of Blake's whereabouts, nor they have any way to communicate with her... and they don't even know why she left. Second: there is no way they could meet Weiss again, she is in Atlas and it's very likely that she'll continue with her life, maybe Beacon is nothing more than a memory for her; she is with her family now and they seem to love her a lot: her sister showed some of that rude love the day they met at the tournament and Weiss was really happy to see her, there is also the fact that her father cared for her so much that he immediately went to Beacon to pick her up, so that she would be safe, so it is safe to assume that they are a wonderful family. In addition, part of Ruby was sure that Weiss wouldn't change a life of luxury to return to a team in which she didn't want to be in the first place, even if she left Atlas to be a huntress, she would do it with a team of her choice. The only thing Ruby knew was how much she missed her... and her two other teammates.

"There's been a little change of plans" her uncle told her in his usual calm voice.

"Wait, did we have a plan? You just told us to go to Heaven Academy and then you followed us," said the hooded girl, she had a good point because until now his uncle had kept all the details for himself, and Qrow recognized that.

"And if I hadn't followed, then what would you have done when you arrived here?" He smiled at her, wanting to make it clear that it's not a good idea to follow an order without knowing why you're doing it. He had a good point and now Ruby had no choice but to justify herself.

"They... I mean: Emerald and Mercury are part of a team, I think they were involved in what happened at Beacon, they were students transferred from Heaven so I would have looked for them or clues to find them"

If she really knew something Qrow needed her to tell him the whole story "interesting, but what makes you think they were related to the fall of Beacon?"

"Their leader... she never told me her name but she was the one I found in the tower... she... she was the one who killed Pyrrha. Besides, during the tournament Yang 'broke Mercury's knee' so he should have been in the hospital, but for the next encounter I found him standing guard in one of the corridors leading to Emerald, his knee was perfectly fine and he only stopped me long enough so that the match ended. I think they handled what happened in the tournament: Coco said she saw someone who wasn't there and Yang said she had to defend herself against someone who was helpless, both saw illusions and curiously enough, Emerald and Mercury were there when that happened... Pyrrha also acted strangely when she fought Penny, so maybe she also saw an illusion. The panic and uneasiness caused by the events of the tournament were what drew the Grimm"

This information was well received, but Qrow still had a question for her niece: "What makes you think they were really students transferred from Heaven?"

"I mean ... I did until you asked with that tone" she admitted, it's true that Ruby had trusted the word of those she considered suspicious.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, you did a good job with the clues you had" then he paused for a moment. "And even with the wrong clues you were heading to the right place" he paused again, giving the impression of hesitation. Maybe he wasn't sure if the team was ready for the things to come, and given the emotional state of the team who could blame him? Although, as she was thinking this, he smiled, "we're still going to the academy, but I'm not taking you to meet the Head Master yet, first, there's something your team must take care of"

…

"Okay, I'm not complaining..." began the blond faunus with monkey tail "but how are we going to take back the White Fang? I mean, we're great and everything but we are two and they have an army" Sun would never abandon a mission like this if that means that Blake will be the only one to face White Fang, but for as good of a friend he wanted to be, even he had a fair amount of doubts and insecurities regarding this plan... that he didn't know.

"Don't you have a team in Mistral?" Asked the black-haired, she was completely focus on the horizon, where the land was making its appearance. She was determined this time, no more running away, no more hesitation, because this time she would set things right for her and for the White Fang. Army or not, Blake knows how they operate. They don't need to defeat the whole army, they just have to take down the leader so that the rest would listen to her, and if they don't follow… well, she hopes that the others would see the error of their ways so that no confrontation is necessary.

With SSSN help or not, Blake knows exactly how the White Fang operates, knows very well that they don't need to defeat an army, if they succeed in removing the leader from power then the others will listen to them, they'll have no choice but to follow. Hopefully, the other faunus in the organization could be able to realize the errors in the methodology that they adopted, hopefully, they will realize that they were sold to the highest bidder and that what they're currently doing is to further separate the gap between faunus and humans. If they were lucky there would be no need for a large-scale confrontation.

"Well, yes, but they aren't exactly the kind of people who would jump right into a mission like this... although maybe Neptune would I'm not be sure of the others" as Blake did not respond he was giving the impression that maybe she didn't really care if the situation was impossible, "that means we would be three against an army, oh and that's only if there's no water nearby" was then that he realized that the girl was not really listening to him, "Blake? What are you planning?"

"I know what the mission is and what we need to accomplish, but I'm still working on the plan," she said as if it were nothing important.

"You cannot be serious, Are we really going to do this without a plan?" Sun tried to remain calm the best he could, but he was starting to freak out.

It was then that Blake let out the laughter she was holding, "Relax, of course I have a plan, but it's not the sort of thing you discuss here, on a boat, full of people who could hear us"

"Good point" he allowed himself to feel relaxed for the moment, only until he realized that he would have to think of a way to convince his team to be part of this crazy mission. He sighed, that will not be easy.

Blake was absolutely certain of what she had to do, she also knew exactly how to do it, but if her gaze returned to some random spot on the horizon it was out of fear. She wasn't afraid to fail or the things that could go wrong because she had planned this for months and she had several contingency plans in case something happens, nor was she afraid to face Adam because the idea of being able to get the chance to get revenge was something that motivated her even more. No, when Blake stared at the horizon and her gaze got lost in the golden tones of dawn, only an image peeked through her mind... and tortured her.

Yang.

Until now Blake had done her best to avoid thinking about her because every time her name or face appeared in her mind, the scene in which Yang lost her arm was repeated thousands of times in her mind... and there was nothing worse than the absolute guilt for what happened to her. Sun told her that Yang wouldn't blame her, that she would definitely do it again if it meant saving her life; But if Blake was honest, that was exactly what she didn't want to hear because that means that if something happens to them it will be because of her, what happens if one day Yang loses her cool and throws herself into a situation from which she won't have a way out? How could Blake live with that? If she left Beacon without saying goodbye, it was to protect her friends. But now that she was leaving her island she could cross paths with Yang and there was nothing in this world she feared the most.

Her mind was flooded with questions, one of the most persistent was: 'Does she hate me?' That's what she hoped for, she deserved it after leaving the way she did and considering everything that happened the night she left, there could be no forgiveness. What could she tell Yang if she ever sees her again? It's not like she could say, "I'm sorry that I left without saying anything the night you lost your arm to save me" it would have been easy to leave a note explaining the reasons for her departure and yet she didn't do it, she couldn't even express herself through writing, the reasons behind her actions could never reach Yang because she just left.

When she thought of Yang, she thought of her as a boxer who has lost one arm and is completely out of the game, no more dreams and no more chances of being a huntress, the actions Blake took that one night ruined her friend's life. Then why, why couldn't she bring herself to say she was sorry for everything she causes? Why was it so hard to let Yang know why she had to leave the way she did? Those questions and more were hunting her. A runner, that's what she is, that's why it was so hard to do all of this, that's why she never could. Even if she was now planning on defeating Adam to take back the White Fang, it was still impossible for her to write a letter to Yang.

Months have passed and the painful truth is that she could have written a letter if she wanted to, all she had to do was to take a paper and a pen to apologize to her partner, to express everything she is feeling right now, to explain that Adam was planning to kill everyone who is dear to her, and that's precisely the reason why she had to leave. She knew Yang and therefore she knew the blonde would forgive her without hesitation if only she explains everything to her, Blake knows that she would understand and, forgiving as Yang is, then she would even offer herself to be part of this impossible mission. But no, instead Blake decided that she wouldn't say a word to the girl who put her life at stake to save her, just because she lacked the courage to speak to her.

 _"Why?"_ She asked herself, _"Why wasn't I able to say something that seemed so simple... something so absolutely necessary?"_

When she thought of Yang, she thought of her as a boxer who had lost her arm and therefore was totally out of the game, her dreams and hopes of becoming a huntress vanished completely, the decisions Blake made that night ruined the life of her dear friend. Then why, why was it so hard to try to communicate with her? Many similar questions haunted her. Coward, that's what she is, even now that she was taking action to defeat Adam and take control of the White Fang... there was nothing else she feared more than meeting Yang... or writing her a letter.

 _"If we were to meet again... no, that would have to be impossible"_

…

The girl of golden heart and hair was finally reaching Mistral. She was looking for the girl in the red hood who left a note and left with Jaune, Ren, and Nora to an adventure of which she knew nothing about. Although, to her surprise, it was proving to be difficult to find such a striking group of hunters and that was becoming exponentially frustrating. After a few hours strolling the streets asking people, she finally found an address and set off immediately.

It looks like they stayed at a hotel but then left this morning and of course, no one knew where they were heading, even if they had any idea of where they are, it was clear that they wouldn't share that information with Yang in an attempt to protect their customers. To make matters worse, no one would believe Yang if she says that she's looking for her younger sister, she had tried it once but because they share no similarities then no one would believe her. The situation was so frustrating for the lilac-eyed girl that at this point she was seriously considering taking the information out as she had done with Junior, but such actions would only bring problems and cause her to lose even more time without giving her a guarantee of receiving the answers she was looking for.

She sighed, part of her appreciated the good intentions of the receptionist even if they caused her a headache. Yang sat and took some time to clarify her ideas, the receptionist had returned to his work and had the courtesy to pass her a couple of magazines to read, although the blonde took it as a bad joke. After a moment she bent to take one of these magazines, on one of the pages she found an advertisement of Heaven academy.

Her eyes shined.

…

The once-heiress of one of the biggest companies in Remnant was patiently waiting for the chance to leave the cargo ship without been noticed. During the flight, she realized that she's done nothing to avoid being recognized, to make things worse her outfit was similar to the one she used in the charity event _and_ the emblem of her family was literally on her back. It was true that Ironwood had plans for sealing Atlas but that won't happen for a week, and until he does, she could be dragged back to Atlas if somebody finds her. It was already too late to do something about it, but, if Blake could fool most people with just a bow then maybe…

While some men were carrying out some of the heaviest cargo she took the chance to go for one of the smallest, she opened a few boxes as quiet as she could until she found what she was looking for: some makeup. She took some to cover her scar and then she placed it back to where it was and exactly as it was, then she took off her long-sleeved blue shrug and loosed her hair so that it would be less easy to recognize her. Without the shrug her arms felt the cold of the breeze, Weiss was so used to long-sleeved clothing that she suddenly felt like she was somehow exposed. The long-sleeved shrug and the crown she wears on her ponytail where now save in her suitcase. There was nothing she could do about her dress or sword but hopefully this would be enough to fool most.

She hid as the pilot came looking for the last package.

"Everything is clear, you're free to go, nobody will be around for 10 minutes more or less." He said as he graved the small box and headed outside. "The Academy isn't far away, just go east from here"

"Thank you"

…

The Heaven Academy was magnificent: the gardens at the entrance, the simple yet imposing architecture of its structures and the mountains in the background made for a wonderful view. Ruby recalled the first time she got to Beacon, the feeling of amaze was the same and the rest of the team were just like her. Everything was so full of life, there sure were a lot of students today.

"We made it team!" said Nora, as optimistic as her usual self.

"Indeed, this journey of ours has concluded at last" added Ren, smiling back at her.

"And what are we waiting for?" Asked Jaune, "Let's go meet the Head Master" just as he was saying so, Nora's stomach roared.

"Not so fast" Intervened Qrow "We're not here to meet the Head Master just yet, there's someone I need to talk to first and it seems like you could go to the cafeteria"

"Oh, who is it? Can I go with you?" requested Ruby, she was not feeling hungry at all and this mystery person got her attention.

"Sure, I think you met already" He answered as he took the first step to the entrance; he knew very well how his words would only add more fuel to Ruby's curiosity

"Really? Who is it?" Part of her didn't want to ruin the surprise but the other part of her wanted to know the answer right away, "Oh, I'll see you later guys!" She waved at her teammates as she followed her uncle.

"Alright! We'll be in the cafeteria if you need us, just don't take so long" said Jaune.

"Yes! We'll see you!" Nora said almost in a rush "Now let's get something to eat" she grabbed both of her teammates by the shoulders as she walked to some random path that she hoped would lead them to the cafeteria, the girl was simply following her nose. Her stomach roared again.

Ruby followed Qrow through some corridors, this places was just as big as Beacon. The uniforms reminded her of Emerald, Mercury and whoever the black-haired girl of amber eyes was. Guilt, that was everything she felt for a moment as she relived all that happened during the fall of Beacon, then she shakes her head because that's not going to happen here, no if she can do something to prevent it or stop it.

"Alright kid, I need you to wait here for a sec." Her uncle stopped all of the sudden, in the middle of what appears to be a conference hall similar to the one Ozpin used at Beacon, "I want something from that vending machine and it'll be easier for this person to see a familiar face if you stay here"

"But who is it Qrow?" inquired Ruby, her uncle has had his fun with all of this unnecessary mystery, now was the perfect time for answers.

"The Ice Queen," he said just before leaving.

Ruby remained quiet for a few seconds, there was no way she could find Weiss here, she was sure of that. Then she remembered: that's how Qrow calls Winter, Weiss's elder sister; but it didn't make sense to her either. Why would any of the Schnees be here? Could Winter have been directed here by Ironwood's orders? How did she contact Qrow? What was going on? A lot of questions were added to Ruby's mind and when she thought of asking, her uncle was already gone.

Suddenly, and maybe because she was in the middle of this huge conference hall, she spotted someone of white long hair who looked lost, as she was looking for someone without success. This girl was wearing a blue dress, a white ribbon tied at the waist and most importantly… she had a rapier, or that's what it looked like, it was hard to tell because of the distance. The white-haired girl turned around and at that moment, their eyes met.

.


	3. It's you!

.

 **Chapter 2: It's you!**

 _When they found each other nothing else existed but those silver eyes, her eyes._

Just a moment ago the white-haired girl was looking for the only family she had left in a place so big it was easy to get lost. Then, as if it was part of some sort of plan thought for her, she found someone she wasn't looking for, and the expression of disbelieve and the smile on her face would let it be clear: she was happy to see her. The red hood, that crazy hair, the grey emblem of a rose and those silver eyes; it was Ruby, there was no doubt in her heart. Her teammate, her friend, one of the few people in this world she missed more than anyone else was there, just standing like a dolt in the middle of the room. She let go of the breath she didn't notice was held until a second ago and stopped herself from shouting her name. It's been so long, it's happened so much, and she had missed her a lot.

She got there looking for her sister, but instead, she found a dear friend. Ruby didn't recognize her, it was easy to tell because of her conflicted expression, she was just waiting for Weiss to do something that would let her know it was really her. The white-haired knew that and simply smiled wider, Ruby looked down right at that moment, maybe she thought that smile wasn't something Weiss would do. That's when Weiss started walking toward her.

Ruby was still looking down, mentally beating herself up for letting her feelings of nostalgia trick her into seeing a person who isn't here. Now that she thought about it, the girl she just saw looks nothing like Weiss looked the last time she saw her, then why did she appear so familiar? Maybe it was just one of those moments when you think you're seeing someone you know but turns out to be a stranger. It could have been because she has thought about her recently… enough to dream about her. It could have been nice to actually find her teamma-

"… Ruby" an unmistakable voice called her. Ruby quickly turned around to find her and when she found those same blue eyes she couldn't believe it, the same girl from before was her: Weiss. She's definitely changed a lot, but that doesn't matter right now.

"Weiss!" she jumped right at her to embrace her without giving it any thought, she acted out of pure joy and for so she let herself tighter the hug. The rest of the world had disappeared in a blink of an eye because this time Ruby was sure of one thing: "it's really you" came out as a soft whisper. The warmth of hers, the softness of her skin and her familiar scent made it clear that this time it was not a dream.

"Of course it's me. Why are you standing here like a dolt?" asked with a bit of sweetness as she slowly allows herself to return the embrace, right at this moment Ruby had reminded her how it was to be around someone who genuinely cared for her, even after all this time. The once-heiress was glad to be mistaken about one thing: "I thought I'd never see you again" she said as she slowly pulled back to meet Ruby's eyes again.

"Me too. But luckily I'm here on a mission" just as she was saying that a lot of questions filled her mind: "but what are _you_ doing here? Where is your scar? Who were you looking for? Is everything ok?" asked the red-hooded almost in a rush, she wanted to quickly catch up with whatever was going on. The chances of finding Weiss here were nonexistent and the fact that she's avoiding to be recognized made it all stranger. If Weiss was really in trouble then it must be something she can do to help her.

"Em… I ran away, used makeup, my sister, and not precisely" Weiss had a lot of questions too but Ruby wouldn't let her ask any, as the red-hooded hurried to ask:

"What?" Because now the brunette had more questions than before, she was not only concern but truly puzzled as well, "What are you running from? Oh! Are you on an undercover mission or are you in trouble? What's your sister doing here? Wait, that could be classified, do you need help?" Ruby asked while grabbing Weiss by the shoulders.

The white-haired did not expect such reaction, such concern; it's been almost a year but it felt like time has not affected their relationship, actually it was quite the contrary: because now she knew that things won't change even if time passes by, and that feeling of reassurance was something she have never found in anyone other than her sister. "… I'm fine, Ruby, I'll tell you about it elsewhere" the look of concern of those silver eyes relaxed a bit, as the girl realized this was not the place to discuss those subjects. Ruby was still Ruby, she could see that, even after all this time, maybe is true that some things never change. "You dolt," she said softly as the red-hooded released her from her grip to scratch the back of her head and giggle.

"Alright, you had your time, we need to get the team" Interrupted the old Qrow, there was some sense of urgency in his voice, and the serious look he gave only added to the impression that time was running short. He was being accompanied by…

"Winter! I've b-" there was pure joy in her voice, but Weiss got interrupted by the person she has been looking for all day.

"Later," said her older sister before turning to Ruby "we have something to discuss with your team" then she turned back to her little sister: "I'm also happy to see you" and she smiled at her in return. It's been around a year since the last time they had the chance to meet and talk, but that would have to wait, because now she has to lead them to the cafeteria and then send the whole team and her little sister to a mission like something they couldn't handle before, the odds were great, but the White Fang waits for no one. For now, all she could really do is to hope they have improved their skills and become more efficient as a team.

Everyone followed the older sister as she guided them to the assumed location of the rest of the team.

Something had changed, Ruby could tell, it was not only her appearance, Weiss would never let her hug her like she just did, and even if this weren't exactly normal circumstances she couldn't help but get the feeling that something had happened to the girl who was now walking by her side. She seemed a bit less cold even when she was insulting her, which should not come as a surprise if she thought of all of the things that could happen during all these months. Everyone has changed, including herself. But, she could say without any hesitation: the ice queen was not so cold anymore. Ruby looked to her side and found out that Weiss was looking at her, she couldn't help but smile while those blue eyes tried to avoid eye contact. For some reason this gave her a familiar feeling, and it reminded her of their first days at Beacon and how Weiss was always keeping an eye on her, so if Ruby made a mistake she would be the first one to correct her, and she'll be the first one to recognize if the red-hooded did something right, they have both challenged each other for be better, although the proud heiress would never admit it.

To finally have her back was even better than she had imagined because there was a lot of persuasion in every scenario that she played in her head, but instead, it turned out to be this way: with Weiss willingly being part of her team again. So does this mean their friendship is genuine? Originally Ruby thought the heiress would only try to be nicer because she had no alternative but… right at this moment, it's obvious how their bond is stronger than she thought. How long has it been this way? When did they become such good friends as to jump right into a mission none of them knew anything about? And this being just a moment after they met as if they have both waited for the chance to have things the way they were before as if they have both dreamed of the best days ever: when the gang was all together fighting and winning regardless of the odds… and getting to know each other's pasts and motives while simply having a good time.

Now that she thought about it, the white-haired girl was always by her side, whether it was during a fight or not, this brought the questions: _"why is Weiss mostly by my side? Couldn't she get along with anyone else?"_ Followed by the very first answer she could think of: _"we must really be BFF!"_ And then she realized a little something: _"But… she said we're not…"_ she shakes her head, suddenly nothing made sense to her and this puzzle let her notice how many things she still doesn't know about Weiss. One question erased everything else from her mind: _"… What am I to you?"_

The girl of blue eyes had one question only: _"Why is Ruby so distracted?"_ It was obvious how thoughtful the brunette was, this made her think about the mission and what they could encounter. She hasn't had a mission nor a fight since Beacon, and although she is confident in her abilities she couldn't help but be nervous about the first enemy she could be facing. At least she knows Ruby is also part of this, but she could only hope not to disappoint her.

Winter stopped at what seemed like some random intersection and looked at her little sister, "you shall go that way" she was pointing at her right, "then turn left two times, right and left, you'll find the classroom #193, wait for us there", nobody knew why she should go apart but Weiss didn't question her sister and both Ruby and Qrow just assumed the sisters knew what they were doing.

"Right, left, left, right, left, 193." She repeated like it was nothing and simply left.

If there was something Ruby could envy, that would be Weiss's concentration and listening skills.

…

"I'm telling you, my arm can stop your hammer any time" Yang was confident in her words, but Nora was also confident in the strength of her weapon. The eyes of both girls were shining as they stared at each other with a smirk that clearly said: oh, I would love to see you try. Both Ren and Jaune were eating in silence, quietly trying to guess who would win that match: the girl who can deal a lot of damage or the girl who can take and return that damage? No one wanted to bet, giving how Yang could take and stop a hit from a giant robot with her bare hands nobody could tell what she could do now that she got stronger. The odds were against Nora but if someone says so they'll be doomed.

"Oh, it's on" challenged Nora as if her pride was at stake.

"Guys, guys, I think maybe we should save it for later, we almost got in a lot of trouble the last time we fought at a cafeteria and Ozpin is not around to help us" Intervened Jaune, almost begging for them to stop. Ren simply looked at Nora, it was his way of persuading her into desisting.

"Alright, we'll take it outside," said the blondie, accepting Nora's duel.

"I'm not missing this," said a red-hooded out of nowhere.

"Ruby!" shouted Yang and all of them simultaneously stared at her as she immediately got up to crush her sister's ribs with a hug. "I'm so happy to find you!"

Breathless, Ruby managed to say: "I'm happy to see you're back in action, I knew you would come eventually… let me live" Yang released her and step back to see two serious faces.

"Greetings, I know all of you reunited just now, but time is short, so please come with us," asked Winter to all of them, although everybody knew that not following her was not an option. JNPR stared at Yang, Ruby, and Qrow silently asking: " _Do you know her?"_

…

The faunus duo made it to the coast, home of a village full of life and healthy business. They had no idea that certain blondie was there several hours earlier.

"So…" started a monkey faunus as he stretched, "We finally made it to the coast" then he followed his cat friend apart from the crowd, He still had a lot of questions but waited to ask till they were away from most people around, although, by that time the peaceful environment made him forget most of those questions "what's next? Mistral? Lunch?" The good news was that he could finally relax a little thanks to the atmosphere.

"Actually, here is where we part ways. See if you can get into one of those trucks without being detected and once you're in Mistral look for all possible allies"

"Just anyone or people we know?" when he asked this Blake gave him an: _"Are you kidding me?"_ Look.

"People we can trust, your team is in Heaven, so I recommend starting with them, and you must have some other friends like other teams you met"

"And what are you going to do?" He was uncomfortable with the idea of going separate ways, and this time he didn't have the option to follow her. In consequence, he was feeling uneasy about this plan again, if anything goes wrong he wouldn't be able to help Blake.

"I just need to get some information and it'll be less suspicious if I go along, besides, I figure that you could use that extra time to convince the others to join us. I'll contact you when it's necessary"

Sun looked at Blake for a moment and all he could see was a warrior being deadly serious about this decision. He sighed. "Are you sure about this?" He wished the answer was different from the one he'll obviously receive.

"What do you mean? I told you before this is the only way, just trust me, I know what I'm doing" So far she had tolerated him, but it was always annoying how he's incapable of taking things as serious as he should, that kind of attitude is one of a person without any mission, purpose or direction in their lives and she couldn't sympathize with someone like that, she could try, but there wasn't much she could offer besides her tolerance.

"Right, sorry, I just needed to hear that, just be careful" his voice was missing his usual bright tone, making it clear that he wasn't happy with this.

Blake sighed, if he was trying to make her feel pity for him when he was just wasting time, such technique won't work on her "Good luck"

…

The group of capable warriors had made it to the classroom #193. Winter was the first one to step in and the others followed. The very first thing in everyone's mind was _"Who is the girl with white hair and blue eyes?"_

"You look familiar" Said Yang, she couldn't be sure because the girl was missing the characteristic scar, but leaving her stile aside, that expression of hers looked Weiss like, strengthened the feeling that there was something familiar about her, maybe because of the way her eyes seem to say _"you dolts"_ Yang could very easily be mistaken, but then she opted for asking rather than guessing, "Weiss?"

"Am I that easy to recognize?" As soon as she asked that the rest of the team shouted her name out of disbelieving, that's when Weiss could see why she had to come to this room first: that kind of greeting would have exposed her identity if it were to happen in the cafeteria. It was indescribably good to be received by all of her friends and to know they missed her at least a little bit, "Is good to see you all again" she said as they surrounded her and Yang hugged her out of nowhere.

Part of Weiss was truly disappointed because it didn't take much for Yang to know it was her, although nobody else seemed to have it figured out until Yang realized it first. She just hoped it'd be impossible for a stranger to identify her because the thought of being brought back to Atlas was almost insufferable.

While everyone was focused on Weiss, Winter left her scroll on the table and some holograms popped up. It was time to discuss the plan.

…

 **Author's note:** I forgot to mention before that I'll be ignoring Oscar's existence because his role in the story is too ambiguous and might not be relevant until later on, I believe he'll be crucial at the end of volume 5, but because I don't have many clues to figure out his purpose I'll just erase him from history (sorry). I know I don't have to try hard to be accurate since this is a fanfiction, but I want the characters and the plot to be as close to _what could probably be_ as possible, simply because I'd love to provide some sense of realism to the story. For so, if I made the decision of changing something that will definitely change the story I want you to know why I'm doing it.


	4. You're here You're missing

.

 **Chapter 3:** **You're here/You're missing.**

 _All the pieces are on the table and the players have been gathered, the game is about to start._

Everyone looked at the holograms as they showed information about different people associated with the White Fang and the increase of their numbers based on the information gathered from various attacks. But something was odd, the Faunus of the pictures appear to be regular people, none have the characteristic uniform or mask, which could only mean one thing:

"The White Fang is recruiting new members and they're stealing the equipment needed to create an army" Clarified Winter, deadly serious about it. "For the first months they looked for pistols, then various types of the heavy armory. The police and some huntsmen were able to capture most of them but their numbers have increased to the point that we had to start being selective about which places to save, meaning most of their small attacks started being successful. And things changed a few weeks ago: they stopped, at least for a while, and then came back as trained soldiers with the characteristic uniforms and masks, not only showing how serious they are but also making it harder for police investigators to identify and arrest them"

This was too familiar, they were using some of the tactics of Roman Torchwick probably because they proved to be effective. They knew everything had remained under control so far but it was easy to see how fragile the current situation was. Everybody remained silent as the pictures changed, this time showing the map of Mistral, highlighting the train tracks, airports and the routes of the principal ground transportation.

"The attacks have increased here, here and here" she said that pointing to three different locations, one for each type of transportation, "The police is running out of Dust and to make things worse, the political tension with Atlas is complicating things with the Schnee Company, so until the situation improves the last cargoes from Atlas will be delivered tomorrow to the port, from there it'll transport in train to the city and distributed to all of Mistral via air and ground. We expect the White Fang to move most if not all of their forces to obtain this cargo" Everyone held their breath, overwhelmed by the responsibility she was putting on them.

"Eh… you know we're just 6 hunters in training and 2 professional huntsmen… How are we going to stop them?" Inquired Jaune, concern, and defeat in his voice.

"Qrow and I won't be able to join you" She answered, "but worry not, because you won't be the only huntsmen there and _I'm_ taking care of the planning"

"Remind me again, who put you in charge of something this important?" Asked Qrow as he took a sip of his drink. He got everyone's attention and some concern, this wasn't the time to distrust each another.

"The chief of the police department and Ironwood allowed me to assist with the logistic only since I already have a mission which requires my presence here"

"So, did the chief asked you because you were the best option or because you were the last one?" The only response he received was an assertive look from the Ice queen. Was trying to get on her nerves some kind of new tradition for him? She couldn't tell, but she had promised herself not to fall for his provocations again. "Could it be that he was just desperate enough?" He asked.

"For once… could you sit and listen before doing any judgments?"

…

If there's something the cat faunus knew too well is that getting information about the White Fang isn't hard when you look like a formidable warrior, she didn't have to try anything at all since one of their men saw her entering a small dust store and followed her to recruit her directly. The information she obtained from him directed her to a warehouse that didn't appear to be currently in use but was not abandon or in ruins either. They really are desperate to gather as many recruits as they can if they're willing to have this kind of reunions at daylight, a risky move indeed.

A mask would protect her identity and her skills would get her out of trouble if it came to it, and as simple as it seemed, it was a matter of entering the building where the secret reunion was programmed and wait for the host to reveal all the information. This makes her suspicious of the current situation… to make it this easy for someone to sneak in… it could mean that they know the police is aware of their plans and are desperate for numbers, or they believe they're strong enough to not care about the resistant they may encounter.

The host entered the room and everyone remained silent. Blake froze as if she had seen a ghost and tried to step back even further back the crowd. This person…

…

Qrow was the first one to leave the room, staying a while longer in silent and listening to the Schnee would have made him sick. In the meantime the young huntsmen and huntresses were going over the plan mentally, making sure they understood what needed to be done, to remember the order of each step and looking for any kind of flaws that could make it even crazier. Winter sat and reminded quiet, she understood their position perfectly, and for so, she stayed with them in case they have any questions or needed some motivation.

After a minute of pure silence, Winter decided that something had to be said for them to have faith and confidence in the success of this mission when the only thing that could be found in their faces was uncertainty. She stranded up and cleared her throat to say with conviction:

"I don't know what brought you here, and each may have a different reason, but whether that reason was to save people, to fight for what's right or because you're tired of the things as they are and you want to change that. There's one thing we all have in common: we are huntsmen and huntresses, the embodiment of hope for everyone, we hold the defenses so that no one gets hurt or is lost, and we fight for them so that the families can have peace to raise their children. We're everything that's standing between the people we protect and everything that causes destruction. And you are the survivors of Beacon, the heroes Mistral is looking up to, you're the ones that can and will make the difference here, make it clear to our enemies: They won't win here, they had one victory, but they won't get another, because from now on it will be your victories. So look whiting yourselves and find the courage and the confidence you need, polish your weapons and sharpen your minds, because tomorrow we go out there to win this decisive battle"

Her words reached them, they inspired ones more than others, but nonetheless, it helped a lot to simplify things: if they don't win here Mistral might be lost because of all of the equipment and Dust the White Fang would have. It was the truth, as flat as it could get.

Ruby's stomach roared, completely destroying the serious atmosphere. "Sorry, I still haven't eaten anything for lunch" she didn't notice but in a way, everybody got a sense of relief with this change of air.

"Me neither," said Weiss, causing the red-hooded to turn around, and for a moment it seemed as if she was about to ask something, but before she could formulate further she got interrupted by the same girl she was talking to.

"Do you wanna go to the cafeteria?" As she asked this, Jaune and Ren were about to get out of the room, but they stopped as a determine Nora stood up and walked to where the blonde was sitting, they both stared at each other for a moment and then secretly agreed to see what would happen.

"Sure" responded the white-haired and Ruby smiled at her while leading the way to what they hope would be a delicious lunch.

Nora stood in front of Yang, forcing her attention onto her, "Are you ready?" asked the girl who was preparing the grenade launcher.

"I'm always ready"

…

The girl was happy, she knew how everything could be covered in a hellish fire tomorrow but… there was nothing she could do but to feel happy for having her friends back in her life, and the red-hooded girl by her side was probably feeling the same. There was something about her, it could be her smile, her cheerful voice, her optimistic words or simply her presence, but there was something about this girl that would always make her feel at ease even in times like this. Her pride won't ever let her say this but she had missed the childish, optimistic leader… and dearest friend.

"Somehow this is like being in Beacon again" she let out, walking the corridors to the cafeteria was simply too familiar to ignore, not only that, but she was also being accompanied by Ruby, which intensified the feeling of nostalgia for those good days at Beacon.

"So you were thinking the same?" She didn't really expect an answer, "don't worry Weiss, we'll make sure nobody loses Heaven" her words of reassurance weren't needed, the girl of blue eyes was not thinking about tomorrow at all, rather, the girl was lost in the past.

"I'm confident about it, we have most of the teams JNPR and RWBY after all, and Winter has been planning this for who knows how long, and there won't be any surprise Grimm attack this time, there's no way we're losing this"

The red-hooded couldn't hear all of her statement, for the girl had to stop listening after hearing her teams name "Wait, you'll be part of my team again? Really? Aren't you just following your sister's plans?" Cautious joy in her voice.

"Well, of course, you dolt. Here and now there're only two options, and I'd choose _you_ over Jaune any day" she assure without giving it a second thought, from her experience the silver-eyes girl had proven to be a better leader and warrior than most, and it didn't make sense to change teams at this point, seriously, which other team could she probably be part of? Why was Ruby asking this questions?

Ruby couldn't help but giggle, it's true Weiss had chosen her over Jaune before, even considering that they didn't get along too well, and it was flattering to know that she still wouldn't change teams any time soon. She placed a hand on her shoulder to say "welcome back, Weiss" and then smile at her. The thought of Weiss looking for a new team could finally fade away.

"Th-there's no other team I rather be part of"

"Aww, Weiss, and there's no other leader you rather follow?"

"That's up for discussion"

"Ow…" she knew that was the type of answer she could expect from the white-haired but yet she was hoping to hear something else. Realizing that wishful thinking made her smile, knowing her friend, how could she expect something else?

"What is it?" Curiosity in those blue eyes, there was something about that smile, as if it was produced by a feeling of endearment.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just happy that you're here" not the reason why she smiled but not a lie neither. "Being part of team RNJR was awesome but I missed my team. I must be really lucky to find you and Yang the same day, if Blake were here this could be the best day ever"

Weiss nodded a bit then looked down for a second, "Do you know what happened to her?" She's got that question circling in her head from time to time, her father took her to Atlas so quickly she badly had time to say goodbye.

"None of us know" she sighed, "I just hope she's ok" then looked down, "Do you think something happened to-?"

"Ruby, stop, I'm sure she's fine… maybe she went after the White Fang and that's why she hadn't been able to contact you" That's the best possible explanation she could come up with.

"But it's been months" and finally all the concern she had held could be shared with someone.

"I know, but she's smart… let us hope she's doing well" there were no more words of comfort she could think of, and that's where the conversation ended for a few minutes, as they continued to silently walk through the gardens to the building that is the cafeteria.

"So… why hide your scar?" Curiosity couldn't wait any longer.

Weiss looked around to assure no one was close enough to hear her "I… I had to escape from _home_ " she sighed, "my father took away my heiress status and also wanted to command my future, starting by keeping me as a prisoner until I _cooperate_ " this burden… for once in her life she had nothing and taking everything back won't be easy.

Ruby was so shocked she stopped walking just to mentally check if she heard right. "What?!" Goodbye to the ' _good father'_ impressions of mister Schnee, she wished she could slap him right now, nothing made sense to her and the picture of a carrying father was being replaced by a picture of a dictator… then she realized that's how everyone talks about him, but up to today, she thought that was only in the business matter. The red-hooded was so overwhelmed by the questions in her head that she didn't realize all the attention she directed to the both of them.

"Ruby, keep it low," she asked softly, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Ops, sorry. But why would he do such a thing?"

"I think is best if we discuss this privately" She decided just before Ruby's stomach roared, "… after lunch" then her stomach roared and Ruby couldn't hold the laugh.

…

The black cat made it to the end of the speech without being discovered. She was terrified of the mass scale of their plans, this was going to be a complete wipeout if accomplished. The person who gave the speech left the stage to lead the new recruits to the ground transportation that was already waiting for them. Blake spotted two guards closing the only other door, if she didn't make it out in time she would be trap in this madness, so while she moved through the crowd as discrete as possible one of the guards notice her, and for seeing this odd behavior he decides to approach her to know what was going on.

"You, stop right there, where are you going?" Blake's heart froze the instant she realized this question was for her.

"Are you feeling ok?" She asked back, this only confused the guard, who tired of playing games placed a hand on Blake's shoulder just to see her figure fade like a shadow, this combined with the question she asked to lead him into thinking he was seeing things.

Unfortunately, this little incident stole the time she had to get away, now the door was closed and she had no option but to follow the rest to the trucks. But for the little luck she had left, the lieutenant was nowhere to be found. The one thing she had to figure out was how to stop them with just a group of huntsmen who never graduated. This operation was way bigger than she originally expected.

…

"It's hammer time!" Exclaimed an enthusiastic Nora.

The group has found a place with what seemed like a sparring area… in the middle of a garden… with benches and decorations… perfect for the occasion. They had agreed on determining the winner with one hit since an actual fight would cause a lot of destruction, so the rules were simple: if Yang can stop the hammer she wins, if not then Nora wins. To avoid destroying the new arm, Nora won't be hitting with her full power at once, but rather she'll star with half her force, then 70% and finally the last hit will be the one that matters, so, she'll go with everything she's got.

The two of the huntresses went to opposite sides and stretched. Naturally, Ren and Jaune were giving advice to Nora, while Yang used the time to clear her head, she was confident but everything Winter said about the White Fang was distracting her.

"Ready when you are" she assured to the other team. Both Jaune and Ren moved aside to take cover behind a stone bench.

"Here I go!" said Nora as she started running towards her target and then shot the ground to jump as high as possible. She was not going to hold back.

Yang smirked, she had expected this from Nora. The orange-haired girl probably thought that hitting her with less than her full force was a terrible idea considering the blondie's semblance. _"Not carrying for safety eh? Then I won't hold back either"_

Nora shot various bullets at the sky while spinning to take an incredible acceleration down to the girl who seems to enjoy this, unlike their friends who were freaking out behind the bench that suddenly didn't seem protective at all. Yang focused on Nora, recalling what her father said about her semblance being driven by her temper, the only thing she had to do was to get angry, even if she hadn't received a shot yet, sometimes she could pull out more energy she had in herself, like in the emerald forest, an ursa cutting her hair was enough, and in this case, to imagine someone cutting her hair was more than enough. Yang went super saiyan and looked up to Nora, but for less than a second she saw Adam instead of her friend, the thought almost made her step back, but she quickly forced herself to focus in reality. By then, she had no time to do anything other than to receive Nora's blasting hit with her right arm.

The immense power created a hole in the ground, and due to the force of the wind produced by the collision of forces an incredible cloud of dust blinded everyone. The last thing they saw was a great explosion of fire and a pink.

Everyone coughed until the dust dissipated. Revealing not only a damaged garden but also a smiling Yang holding a hammer and an impressed Nora sat on the ground. "Told ya," Said the winner, "It seems Ironwood used good materials, it doesn't even have a scratch!"

"Students!"

Of course, a teacher would see an explosion like that. Needless to say: they were in trouble. At least, that's what they thought, but the teacher simply made everything grow again and then left, maybe he was already used to students destroying the gardens for the sake of fighting. Jaune and Ren came out of the bench to celebrate the winner.

"We should probably find a real sparring arena" suggested Jaune after a short conversation, "tomorrow won't be like anything we encounter on the way here"

"A wise recommendation indeed," said Ren.

"I couldn't agree more," said Yang, "I haven't had a real fight since Beacon. You go on ahead, I'll bring Ruby and Weiss"

"Sure," said Nora, "but you could just call them"

"Nah, I'll go for them," she said as she went back to the cafeteria. In reality, all Yang wanted right now was some time to think and thanks to Jaune she had the chance to do so. The image of Adam she saw earlier meant she's not ready for the mission if they're going to fight the White Fang, her friends will need her, but if she freezes in the battlefield a lot of things are guaranteed to go wrong, especially for her. To be completely honest, she hoped their first mission was something like clearing an area of Grimm or help a village by taking down a big Grimm, but fighting the White Fang was exactly the last thing she wanted to deal with.

The thought of Blake came to her mind and she tried to move it away. Everything was going well, she felt like she was really recovering from this, but learning to deal with something doesn't mean you're ready to face it, or that's what it seems. What if Blake was with them? No, impossible. What if she was fighting them? That's probable, then, does it mean they're going to find each other eventually? Possible but unlikely. The fact that she hadn't tried to communicate felt like a dagger in the back because it meant that after everything they had been through Blake simply doesn't care about them. What if she never left the White Fang and was working undercover to provide them with information about Beacon? Could it be? Could everything have been just a lie? Who is Blake? Were they actual friends?

The questions in her mind were torture, but just one matters: _"Why… why did she leave?!"_ She had to try even harder not to think about it.

…

It was past lunchtime, so no one was in the cafeteria, with the exception of two girls who had eaten already and now were having a simple conversation. Ruby wanted to ask several questions but she wasn't sure if this was the right time or place, especially since anyone could just walk in and-

Yang almost kicked the door open and looked at Weiss "Teach me how to beat a swordsman"

.


End file.
